I had had barely begun to heal when, five months later, the COVID-19 pandemic struck—a trauma that left millions feeling, as I once had, disoriented and unmoored. In the wake of last Tuesday’s election, I am again encountering many who are feeling as if they have been picked up off the ground and flung down to earth. Like me, they are dizzy, confused and unsure if what we had before will return now. And, I think we all believe that in the months ahead, the world will change in ways that may surprise, isolate, or cause us to question what we thought we believed to be true. In that confusion, I am once again reminded of the lesson I learned, and what I have found to be the secret to surviving traumatic experiences: creative, artistic practice.

Prior to my brain injury I spent less than two hours a year working on creative projects. Sometimes, I would make a costume or doodle in a notebook. But after my brain injury, I spent nearly eight hours a day painting, drawing, eventually making ceramics and then creating public art. Creative practice became more than a hobby; it was both a therapeutic lifeline and a way to regain my sense of self. In turning to creativity, I found more than an escape—I discovered a process of growth, one that changed how I understood challenges, processed pain, and even approached my work.

When we create, we are asked to not run from our feelings but to embrace them, embody them, alchemize them and then, if we desire, to share them with the world. Research shows that art can help people navigate the emotional challenges of illness, injury, challenging times and complex events. Artistic practice can also help people express emotions when words fail, as is seen in surrealism or art of the traumatic real. Not to mention, art can reduce conflicts and distress, improve cognitive functions, foster self-esteem, and build emotional resilience and social skills. And, more so, artist practice can also lead to innovation.

Research by Michele and Robert Root-Bernstein has shown that Nobel Laureates often have secondary creative practices, like painting or writing, which help them approach problems from fresh perspectives.”This combinatorial approach to learning and doing enables them to perceive unusual problems at the intersections of disciplines, to transfer ideas and techniques from one field to another, and/or to synthesize knowledge across domains.” In short, their creativity practice is the fuel for their innovation.

Since the start of my creative practice, I have found that I am better able to understand, work through and process my emotions. And, through that process, I have become more innovative in my professional life which has led to new career opportunities, new professional pursuits, and increased leadership opportunities. All of which has allowed me to respond to the challenges that have since arisen personally, professionally and politically with a different perspective. Where my preference may have once been to run away from my problems, I now find instead a new desire to investigate the problem from many angles, to explore them, to utilize my creative practices to express them and to contemplate if perhaps there is a way to see every situation in a new light. This has been a valuable lesson.

I no longer believe that creative artistic practice is a luxury. And, I certainly do not believe that it is only for those who are artistically gifted. It is a necessity. Exploring our creative selves enables a new level of emotional processing, particularly in the wake of trauma, and out of that increased emotional control comes the ability to see new solutions and solve problems that can change trauma into opportunity. In this moment of upheaval, pick up a paintbrush, a pencil, or a hunk of clay, and explore what creativity can teach you about resilience and change. At the very least, it will serve as a distraction but at its best, it will be a tool to help you envision new solutions to the world’s most complex challenges. And, I have found that there is nothing more healing than taking moments of profound pain and turning them in periods of growth that lead to positive change.